Helman Tor: A Cultural Landscape

Katie TaylorSponsored by CAVA

What is Helman Tor and where is it?

• Helman Tor is a tor (large freestanding rock formation)

• The formation on the tor is entirely natural

• The rocks there are granite• It is situated near three parishes:

Lanlivery, Luxulyan and Lanivet• These parishes are in mid-

Cornwall, near Bodmin

CAVA and Cornish Story• Sponsored by Cornish Story/ CAVA• CAVA was created by the Institute of Cornish Studies • Cornish story was also set up by the Institute of Cornish Studies• ‘Tallys an Tir’ project led by Sarah Chapman

• Organisation websites:• http://www.cava-studies.org/• http://www.cornishstory.com/• http://cornishstories.com/

Sponsor outcomes

• Ultimately, this research will become a travelling exhibition• It will show at Penzance, Truro and

Bodmin along with Will and Abi’s project in May• The exhibition will include an Oral

History conversation played on a laptop• The research will also become an

article for the Cornish Story magazine

Cultural Landscape

• Denis Byrne argues that: “cultural landscapes are created through time by a form of cultural sedimentation in which past human actions leave traces – the traces, for instance, of houses, campsites, shrines, battles, fences and pathways – that accumulate” (2008)• Landscapes, certainly cultural ones like the area around Helman Tor

are socially constructed by the community and their interaction with that place• Landscapes are also a direct link to the past• They generate a sense of belonging and identity

Initial Research stages

• Met with Garry and the sponsors: Jay Pengelly and Anna Tonkin from CAVA in week 3• Discussed the project and the outcomes• Given some initial guidance on types of sources• Limited research on the Tor available online• Archive trip with the University was very useful• Felt disadvantaged for not knowing Cornwallvery well

Research problems

• Helman Tor has a real local history• Cornwall Records Office only had 2 documents specifically mentioned

Helman• The Cornish Studies Library also not good with specific information• Meant branching out into parish history and heading down the wrong

path• Realisation that I would need to engage with the community• But how?

‘Crowdsourcing’• Social media really useful for public

history projects like this• “People learn in public and through peer

knowledge and research sharing” Paul Martin (2013)• Participatory culture of public history

Working with the community

• Key figure to this project: Pete Keen• Grew up on a farm near the Tor• Real source of knowledge• Local farmer Ivan also a prominent figure in the community• Sharon MacDonald argues that local people telling their history, and

going beyond ‘the storybooks’ is particularly important• If you are doing local history, you need to make sure the community

is having their voice heard

History of Helman Tor

• Helman Tor has a really interesting Neolithic past• Bronze Age hut found close by• Medieval farming system• Supposed links to the Druids and Paganism• Tin streaming• Nature reserves• Place for ritual• Place for socialising

Past and current communities in the area

• Evidence of some form of Neolithic shelters• Primarily farming communities• Many families have been around for generations• Myth surround Kitty Warne and Jinny Gerry• Eric Higgs key in unlocking some of the

archaeological past of Helman and its surrounding area• Link with Methodism – Bible Christian Movement

Importance of Oral Histories and community engagement• Without engaging with the community

my research would never have progressed as much as it did• ‘Community’ as a term• Great sense of a local identity• Oral histories provided such an insight to

the community spirit• “Oral history is a history built around

people” Paul Thompson (2006)• Important to record communities to

preserve their history and their knowledge

Pete Keen and autobiography• “One place where I could impress any visitor was the summit of

nearby Helman Tor. This was a paradise for any child. A game of ‘Hide and Seek’ or simple Tag was a thrill whilst a game of Cowboys and Indians never ceased to thrill, particulary when armed with a simple Capgun of the time, loaded with a roll of caps costing 1p ( one old penny) a roll. Our childhood cries and muted ‘crack’ of our guns were to be heard as we valiantly defended our particular group of rocks. The number of places on the Tor where one could hide were numerous.”• Autobiography not previously thought to be a stable source• BUT we need to value them as rich sources for understanding

personal histories

Conclusion

• The research process has been challenging but also a lot of fun• It is clear that in the cases of Pete and Ivan that the landscape has

shaped their identities• The public history field opens history up to a wider audience and

involving communities• Exeter historian Richard Overy thinks that popular or public history is

disengaged from the world• Projects like this prove him wrong

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